galangal
/ˈɡal(ə)ŋɡal
/(also galingale)
noun [mass noun]
An Asian plant of the ginger family, the aromatic rhizome of which is widely used in cooking and herbal medicine.
- Genera Alpinia and Kaempferia, family Zingiberaceae.
- A typical paste will contain lots of chiles, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, shrimp paste, black pepper, and sea salt.
- Coconut, ginger, galangal, red pepper, sesame, tamarind, peanuts, basil and tea leaves - in addition to staples like homemade noodles and white rice - appear frequently in Myanmar's cuisine.
Origin
Middle English galingale, via Old French from Arabic ḵalanjān, perhaps from Chinese gāoliángjiāng, from gāoliáng (the name of a district in Guangdong Province, China) + jiāng 'ginger'.